Group play at the 2024 Olympic Games finishes up with two days worth of hoops on Saturday, August 3, and Sunday, August 4.
Our experts from the "WNBA Buckets" podcast provide Olympic women's basketball odds and picks, including best bets for this weekend's slate.
Below, you can take a look at their four best bets, and be sure to check out the podcast.
China -5 1H
China vs. Puerto Rico: 5 a.m. ET, Saturday
I'm Puerto Rican, but I'm actually betting against my squad in some form because I do think this should be a China bounce back spot.
I like China -5 in the first half, but not for the game (because we've seen Puerto Rico have crazy comebacks throughout this tournament). China has a program, some consistency and has players that have been together for a little bit.
But the reason I like China — in the first half at least — is due to their size. They have the size that tends to bother teams that want to play fast and get in transition, like Puerto Rico.
The rebounding is going to be an issue, and I think this is the China bounce back spot.
Pick: China -5 1H
Spain -3.5
Spain vs Serbia: 7:30 a.m. ET, Saturday
Spain is at -3.5 against Serbia, and this is a play I like. I just kind of buy Spain more.
I was impressed with how resilient they were against China when they looked like they were going to lose that game for 90% of it, maybe even 95% of it.
Megan Gustafson has been great, and I feel like this is a good matchup for Spain.
Serbia is coming off that big win against China (defeating them by 22 points), but I think the better version of Spain should beat the better version of Serbia in this game.
Pick: Spain -3.5
Belgium -298
Belgium vs Japan: 5 a.m. ET, Sunday
By Dano Mataya
I just don't think Japan has size to hang with Belgium. They didn't have the size to hang with Germany.
Smash the moneyline! This is a nice spot for Belgium as they have some confidence going after having a good shooting performance.
And their games are basically home games, if you've noticed. They're only 11 miles away from the Belgian border, so they're packed with Belgian fans.
I don't see the European champions not winning a game here.
I love the Cats on the spot.
Pick: Belgium -298
Nigeria +6.5
Canada vs Nigeria: 7:30 a.m. ET, Sunday
By Dano Mataya
Nigeria poses a tough matchup for guards who can't handle pressure and aren't physical.
No disrespect to Kia Nurse or Bridget Carleton, but I think the defensive pressure will be key.
We saw France apply defensive pressure against Canada, and that resulted Canada only scoring two points in the second quarter. They never got back into that one.
Similarly, I see this game being a slugfest, and I see Canada not scoring much.
The line is very interesting, so I do love Nigeria at -6.5.
